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New Year, New Grade
It's school time again! You're probably feeling excited and maybe a little sad that summer is over. Some kids feel nervous or a little scared on the first day of school because of all the new things: new teachers, new friends, and maybe even a new school. Luckily, these "new" worries only stick around for a little while. Let's find out more about going back to school.
School Calendars
Here are the links to local public school system calendars which will help you plan ahead and organize a new school year.
Review the essentials in order to help your child thrive this year.
A milestone is fast approaching: Your child will enter a new grade and with this comes fresh challenges and rich rewards. Find out what key changes to expect and how best to support school success.
Kindergarten
Your child is entering a bold new world. While exploratory play is essential to her development, you'll probably find kindergarten is more academically rigorous than it used to be. She may explore basic science by growing plants in paper cups. Her classroom may include a computer area where she'll explore educational software. She'll learn to identify colors and basic shapes. Perhaps most importantly, her social and emotional skills will develop. You may discover over the course of the year that she is better able to listen to directions.
Sample subjects
- Counting
- Rhyming
- Creating and replicating patterns
- Recognizing basic sight words
Best at-home support: Set aside plenty of reading time! Have conversations about books. Read together every day. Make frequent trips to the library and get your child her own card. Lay the groundwork for a lifelong love of reading.
1st Grade
This year brings a change to more desk time. Your 1st grader will most likely be in a state of constant motion. He will depend on the comfort of established routines in order to face big challenges like having daily homework and needing to sit in his chair for longer periods. Fine motor control is still being refined and he will practice forming letters. Invented spelling is most likely still acceptable and he may use it to pen original stories. He may begin reading on his own this year
Sample subjects
- Days of the week
- Numbers over 10
- Holidays and flags
Best at-home support: Allow for time to run around. Your child still needs plenty of time to be active. Make sure he has free-play time in a park, playground, or backyard. Set limits on TV and computer time.
2nd Grade
Your child may move from beginning to fluent reader this year, but don't despair if reading is still a challenge — most children will get there in their own time. Reading for comprehension is the next goal. Chapter books are on the menu and your child may be expected to complete her first book report. Fundamental math skills like multiplication and division may be introduced.
Sample subjects
- Beginning book reports
- Adding and subtracting to 20
- Map skills
- Telling time
Best at-home support: Provide practical math materials. Put an analog clock in your child's bedroom. Use measuring cups to make a favorite recipe together. Supply a ruler and a measuring tape to explore the home environment.
3rd Grade
Under the No Child Left Behind Act, your child encounters her first taste of national standardized testing in this grade. It also often heralds the arrival of the hardcover textbook. Writing becomes more sophisticated with an expectation of utilizing correct grammar, punctuation, and spelling. Your child may be expected to turn in assignments in legible cursive. Tests become common, but for now, pay attention to your child's experience taking tests rather than the actual scores. Your student should be increasingly responsible for taking care of his own homework obligations
Sample subjects
- Beginning multiplication and division
- Story components such as setting and theme
- Taking notes effectively
- Basic library research
Best at-home support: Give your child a good children's dictionary that will be useful for a few years. Show him how to look up a word he isn't sure how to spell and what information each definition offers: parts of speech, pronunciation guide, and multiple definitions
4th Grade
While this is a pivotal year for academics, it can also be a challenging one for your child personally. She may fear not being competent. Homework is her responsibility, but she'll still need your help getting it all together. She'll likely write multi-paragraph essays and encounter word problems in math.
Sample subjects
- Current events
- Local and state history
- Long division, fractions, decimals
Best at-home support: Make use of organizational tools. Create a quiet and dedicated study area — a desk or special nook — for your child. Stock it with a container for pens and pencils, a small pencil sharpener, and a nice set of markers. Set her up for success with a homework notebook or other organizer.
5th Grade
Many schools approach health issues like drug awareness and puberty this year. Math becomes increasingly complex and may prove challenging to a child who previously found it elementary. He'll hone his writing skills with frequent assignments. Essays must include a clear beginning, middle, and end and be revised and polished from first to final draft. Increased responsibility means he's in charge of getting homework done.
Sample subjects
- American history
- Geometry, fractions, probability
- Research reports
Best at-home support: Provide practical writing practice. Give your child a diary, help him find a pen pal, or even encourage supervised e-mail correspondence. The more your child writes, the more comfortable he'll become with this all-important skill. Let him whip up the grocery list or create a restaurant-style menu for dinner at home.
Middle School/6th Grade.
Not since kindergarten has your child had to acclimate to so many changes. Subjects are often taught by separate teachers and investigated more deeply. Your child will most likely be expected to have computer skills, including how to research effectively online and properly cite references. If basic math concepts have been missed, it's time to take action because a strong foundation will be expected from here on out. Academically, your child will probably begin figuring out which subjects she enjoys — and excels in — the most.
Sample subjects
- Algebra
- Myths, biographies
- Life science
- American or ancient history
Provided by www.kidshealth.org
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